Package accessory



. Jan. 2 1 Y J. M. MURPHY ET AL 2,135,605

' PACKAGE ACCESSORY Filed April 25, 1958 I Jhzzllflzapy y Patented Jan2,

. 2,185,605 g PACKAGE, ooEssoaY .ib n M; Murphy,

Shamokin; and Thomas A. t I

, Burba, Jr., Paxin'os; Pan

'i'App icatioh is n 25, icssQsei-nl No. 204,168

.9 Claims. (o1.}20s-'-41) This invention relates to accessories/forpack-- ages ofelongated articles whichare removed from time to time inpart only and not returned to the package. Moreiparticularly theinvention re- 1 lates to an accessory fora ci'gar'ette package in conection with which the invention was con- 1 ceived.

-' "Cigarettes and like articles are customarily packed in oblongpackages of paper or the like,

. i0 andthe cigarettes are arranged therein in parallel relation .toeachothen-usualiy tiers or rows of three. [it is the general practice'in thetrade to thus package and sell .cigarettes'and it is customary to formthe packages of paper. It

Iii islcommon practice amongusers of cigarettes, ,tog'tear away part ofone, end ofthe package to expose the endsioi several cigarettes forextracting the same one at, a time by pulling the cigae v rettelongitudinally out through the torn away 20 part or the package,Cigarette users have experienced that after a numberoi. cigarettes havebeen removed from a package,- the remaining cigarettes become dislodgedfroin their original" position and lie obliquely within the package insuch a manner that their withdrawal becomes U of manufacture or whichmay be inserted-bythe purchaser. A further object, is-t'o provide anaccessorywhich will insure ready access tothe ciga rettes at the openendof a package until the last cigarette has beefl'withdrawn. I

'It is a further object of the'inventionto provide adevice which} willnot only serve to move the cigarettes progressively toward thepackage M)v opening hut will also serve toma ntain the pack-.

age in its original shape It is a further object of the inventiontorpro-e same may be einbodiedin a packagefofcigarettes without addingmateriallyto the cost of the produ'ctionthereof. I

Other objects andadvantages of the invention 5Q will'bec ome'.ap'parent'as' thisdescription, proceeds, having regardtothe-attacheddrawing in which like referencenumerals indicate like parts throughoutthe several figures, and inw hich Figure 1 is a perspective view oi'apackage of i :55 cigarettes with the accessory placed therein at itscontents; 1 Figure 4 is asectionai View taken on line 44 of Figure 3;

- nd becomes misshapenrafterj a few of the ciga' thereof 4 r I Figure "2is a perspective View of the accessory;

Figure 3 is a side view of. a cigarettepackage UNITE earns TjfOF FlCEone side of the package," parts of the package having been brokenaway toshow the interior with a side wall thereof removedto show the deviceinoperative relationwith the package and Figure 5 is a perspective Viewof a modified springn echani'srn forming a part of the invention; andv jFigure 6 is an el-evational view of the "modified springzmechanism in afolded position preparator y to: its insertion into a cigarette package.

The conventional, cigarette package N1." is

termed of various layers of relatively thin 'fiek-' tibie' paper intheusual manner. This package is adapted to contain a plurality ofcigarettes i2. A cigarettesmokerusually tears away a portion age in thisinaner so long as the package issub tents,- for example, have beenexhaustedfthe Not. thentop "of the package to expose the ends of severalcigarettes, as at M: It. is'usually a sim ple operation to withdrawcigarettes from a pack 1; I

package bec omescrumpled, the cigarettes as the; cigarettes at thisopening in an upright and parallel position, the ;accessory, generallyindi cated at it, has been provided. This accessory width ofthepackagein whichthe same isto be .used.' The corners 2c of the follower'i'tt'are preferably rounded so as to facilitate the movement of thefollower from one edge of the package to i the other. ,l vide a deviceof the-class described which can be g manufactured at a minimum cost sothat the This follo'wer is inserted in the cigarette package lflflat oneedge thereof and in contact with vided' a spring mechanism .22.

M a ms 2 are connected to tension means j surne' oblique positionswithin the package, "and 1 on the 'whole, the withdrawal. of further,cigarettesthrough the opening i becomes di'iiicult; In order, to insurea'co'ntinuous supply of 'ciga" 'rettes at the opening M, and in order topresent which ,willreact tdfthgwithdrawal'of cigarettes "to effect thefolding; movement of the arms. For example, eachJend of each arm 24 maybe probe drawn towards each other by the elastic bands 28 thus advancingthe follower l8 to movecigarettes from the rear of the package towardthe forward edge thereof to replace those which have been withdrawn.

Good results can be obtained by using the spring mechanism alone. Whenthe follower l8 is omitted, the ends of one of the arms 24 will restagainst the last row of cigarettes. The pres-1 sure of the arm 24 in.contact with the cigarettes willoperate to move them toward the openend of thepackage, and since the arms 2d are preferably as wide as thecigarette tier the pressure will be substantially uniform across thecontents The follower I8 is, however, useful in that it serves todistribute the operat of the package.

ing pressure along the length of the cigarettes and guards againstdamage to the cigarette which might otherwise result.

In order to maintain the package in its original shape, and to preventcrushing thereof, there is provided a supporting member 30 which issimilar in size and construction to the follower I8. This member isgenerally disposed against, the rear'edge of the cigarette package andthe spring mechanism 22 is interposed between the 'supporting member 39and the follower E8. The follower i8 and the supporting member 38together constitute a support for the package, even though substantiallyemptied, which lends rigidity thereto and prevents crushing of the samewhen carried in a users pocket.

The arms 24 of the spring mechanism, may

consist of two strips of flexible material which may be joined togethertransversely and intermediate the length thereof, for example, by meansof a-staple 32. This is however, only one method of construction whichmay be modified. A modification thereof is illustratedin Figures 5 and 6of the drawing, wherein the spring mechanism is generally indicated bythe numeral 22 and'is formed of a single piece of sheet material, the

ends of which may be joined to form a four-y sided figure as shown' inFigure 5. This figure inaythen be creased or scored at the points 34 topermit folding of the same in the manner illus-' trated iii-Figure 6 ofthe drawing. This method of i construction eliminates the use of staplesor itsconstruction.

' Since this accessory is adapted to bepacked with cigarettes at theplace of manufacture, and.

other attaching means but may be less desirable than the principal formof the mechanism because of the greater amount of material required forsince it is contemplated that the package together with the accessory bediscarded after the-cigarettes have been used, the same must be capableof construction at a very low cost so that no. j' addition need bemadetothe eventual costof "cigarettes to the user. contemplated that theaccessory be constructed Towards this end it is of light weightsheetstock such as cardboard, of the Bristol board type, althoughtheprecise mate- Irial may be determined by'convenience in the,

manufacture. v

While the invention has been disclosed in two forms and has beendescribed in connection with cigarette packages it is' expected thatvarious modificationsin the construction thereof may be' made and itsuse may be varied; It is, therefore, not desired to limit the use of theinvention other than by the'limitations imposed thereon'by the subjoinedclaims.

What we claim is:

1. An accessory for packages'of elongated ar-- a: be placed in contactwith said articles to-ad- Vance the same toward an opening in the package, said spring mechanism consisting of a pair ticles comprisingaspringmechanism adapted to of interconnected arms foldableupon'themselves about-a transverse line located intermediate their ends,and means interconnecting the ends offeach of said" arms for. moving thesame to folded position. v I 2. An accessory for packages-ofelongated'an ticles comprising a follower adapted to contact;

the articles throughout substantially their entire length, a springmechanism for urging said follower against said articles to advance thesame; toward an opening in the package, said spring mechanism consistingof a pair of interconnected arms foldable upon themselves about atrans-:-

verse linelocated intermediate their ends and ['1 2 meansinterconnecting theends of each of said arms for moving'the same tofolded position,

cles comprising a support member, a follower 3. An accessory forpackages of elongated artiadapted to contact the articles throughoutsubstantially their entire length, a-spring mechanism interposedbetween-said sup-port member: and said follower for urging: saidfollower against said ing of a pair of interconnected arms foldable uponthemselves about a transverse line located intermediate their ends,and'means interconnecting" the ends'of each of said arms for moving thesame *1 to folded positional 4. An accessory for packages ofelongatedarticles comprising a'follower adapted to contact the articlesthroughoutsubstantially their entire length, a spring'm'echanisrn forurging said fol.- lower againstsaid articles to advance thesame towardsan opening'in the package, said spring.

mechanism consisting of .a' pair'of arms joinedto each other alongaitransverse line intermediate their length andbeing foldableupon'themselves about said joint, and means interconnecting the articlesto advance the same'toward an opening in the package, said" springmechanism consistends of each of said: armsformoving the same ,to'

folded position. v r v l 5. An accessory for packages of elongatedarticles comprising a support member, a follower adapted to (contact thearticle's'throughout substantially their entirelength, a springmechanism interposed between said support member and said follower forurging-said follower against said;

articles to advance the sametowards an opening in the package, saidspring mechanism consisting I of a pair of arms, joined to each otheralonga transverse line intermediatetheirlength and being foldable uponthemselves about said joint,

and means interconnecting the "ends ofeach-of said arms for moving thesame to foldable position. I

articles throughout substantially their entire length,a spring mechanismforurging said follower against said articlesf'toladvance the sametoward an opening in the package, said spring mechanism consisting of apairof interconnected 6. An accessory for packages of elongated arti-I vcles comprising a follower adapted to contactthe arms foldable uponthemselves about a transverse line located intermediate their ends, anelastic band interconnecting the ends of each of saidarms for moving thesame to folded position.

'7. -An accessory for packages of'elongated articles comprising asupport member, a follower adapted to contact the articles throughoutsubstantially their entirelength, a spring mechanism 'moving the same tofolded position.

8. An accessory for packages of elongated articles comprising a followeradapted to contact'the articles throughout substantially their entirelength, a spring mechanism for urging said follower against saidarticles to advance the same towards an opening in the package, saidspring mechanism consisting of a pair of arms joined to each other alonga transverse line intermediate their length and being foldable uponthemselves about said joint, and an elastic band interconnecting theends of each of said arms for moving the same to folded position. I

9. An accessory for packages of elongated articles comprising a support-member, a follower adapted to contact the articles throughoutsubstantially their entire length, a spring mechanism interposed betweensaid support member and said follower for urging said follower againstsaid articles to advance the same towards an opening in the package,said spring mechanism consisting of a pair of arms joined to each otheralong a transverse line intermediate their length i and being ioldabdeupon themselves about said JOHN M. MURPHY. THOMAS A, BUR-BA, JR.

